


"even if we never showed it publicly"

by archivedjemily



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, College, F/F, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25495195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archivedjemily/pseuds/archivedjemily
Summary: based on a tumblr post from ellegreenawy of a "queering the map" that said "we were queer and in love at all the embassy events, even if we never showed it publicly"
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 3
Kudos: 80





	"even if we never showed it publicly"

**Author's Note:**

> pls be nice to me hehe

Emily had never seen the sky so dark. It was a clear night in the middle of December, wind cold and gentle against the stone bricks that made up the balcony of the US Embassy.

Home from university for winter break, her presence was _requested_ at her mother’s annual holiday party. Big names, bigger personalities, political agendas and feigned interest in her life were what waited for her back inside. She could hear the roar of voices and music dull to soft murmurs as she walked towards the railing that overlooked a snow-covered garden.

Head tilted up, hair lifting off her neck slightly in the breeze, she closed her eyes and let herself breathe for what felt like the first time in hours. Inhaling in the cold air, she focused on the way it seemed to touch every cell in her body. Here, in what should be her own home, she felt like an outsider, a stranger to the guests inside.

 _A few more hours_ , she thought. Then she could excuse herself, shed the layers of makeup and clothing that served as her armor when she had to take on the role of ‘Ambassador Prentiss’ daughter,’ and make her way to the one person that actually did feel like home.

JJ had been away with her family for the first two weeks of their respective winter breaks. It had been even longer since the last time they had seen each other, when blonde had made the trip from Pittsburgh to New Haven for a long weekend.

They had gotten home today, and now only the few-hour drive Emily would make in the morning stood between them. If she was being honest with herself, she was using every ounce of self-control she had to not hop into her car right now and drive through the night. The only thing stopping her was the lecture she knew would be waiting for her when JJ realized she had driven in the snowy conditions.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t hear the soft footsteps that had followed her out onto the balcony.

“Hiding from someone?”

Emily’s eyes opened slowly, a smile spreading across her face until it reached her eyes. It was the voice she craved, the one that filled her mind during the day, that she had only heard on the other end of the phone for what seemed like forever.

She took a moment to appreciate the sight in front of her. Blonde hair cascaded in loose curls over the sleeves of a midnight black dress. The dress sat perfectly on her, highlighting the hours of training that gave way to a figure that looked soft and feminine, strong and agile, and every perfect thing in between.

Illuminated only from behind by the light filtering out of the ballroom, JJ looked ethereal, and Emily couldn’t keep herself from staring. She felt her pulse quicken, and searched deep within herself for the ability to speak.

Seeing the struggle, JJ gave a soft laugh, moving towards where Emily still stood, unmoving.

“How are you here right now?” Were somehow the first words that Emily could string together, still looking at JJ with a kind of wonder and awe that made JJ’s heart soar.

“Well we got home this morning, I started unpacking, found the sweatshirt of yours that I took last time I came to visit. Realized there was no way I could wait any longer than I had to, pulled out the one formal dress I owned, got in my car and three hours later found myself at the fanciest party I’ve ever _not_ been invited to.” She laughed as she said it. Grinning in a way that let Emily know she was enjoying her response to JJ’s sudden appearance on the balcony.

JJ reached across the space between them, bringing her hand up to push a stray piece of Emily’s hair behind her ear. She let her hand linger, and Emily couldn’t help but lean her cold cheek into JJ’s warmth.

Her smile hadn’t left her, open mouth and amazed at the fact that JJ was here, in front of her, right now. Moving closer, she pulled JJ into a tight embrace, and slowly felt the kind of warmth she only felt around JJ reach every inch of her skin. Tilting her head back slightly, she studied JJ’s face for a few moments before closing the gap between them, pressing her lips softly against the blondes, hands coming to rest on JJ’s cheeks. A tactile reminder that they were really here, together, after so long apart.

Emily felt JJ’s palms spread out against her neck and lower back, pulling her in as close as she physically could, barely moving her lips, more than happy to just maintain a physical connection.

After a few minutes, Emily pulled back, drudging up all the self-control she had when she remembered where they were. Who she was. Who she was _expected_ to be.

Even with them both in heels Emily stood a few inches taller than JJ. So she tucked the top of the blonde’s head underneath her chin, touching her lips softly to JJ’s temple before letting out a contented sigh. A lot of silent words passed between the two as they stood on the balcony, wrapped up in each other, forgetting the world of galas and politics and mothers for a moment.

In a few minutes, someone doing her mother’s bidding would come looking for her. Telling her that someone wanted to meet her, or that her mother needed her for a photo-op.

Inside those walls, she was the Ambassador’s daughter. Inside, she had to appease the political elite. Tone herself down to become a more palatable personality to consume. _I’m not scared to be seen with you_ , she had told JJ once, _but I am scared of what being seen with you will mean for you. I can control myself when she makes comments about me, but I can’t be responsible for my actions when she decides to aim her wrath at you._

So in a few minutes, they would make their way inside. Stand respectable distances apart. Talk to the right people, paint polite smiles on their faces, and make her mother look good.

But Ambassador Prentiss’ daughter could wait a few more minutes.

Out here, wrapped in two arms that felt like safety and love and hope and home, she was just Emily.

Emily who was in love with someone who loved her back.

Emily who was cared for.

Emily who had finally found what it felt like to be accepted as is, unconditionally.


End file.
